2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400
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| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 26 of 36 in the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 program cover, featuring several Looney Tunes sponsored cars. | |||
| Date | September 7, 2002 | ||
| Official name | 45th Annual Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 with The Looney Tunes | ||
| Location | Richmond, Virginia, Richmond International Raceway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 0.75 miles (1.21 km) | ||
| Distance | 400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km) | ||
| Average speed | 94.787 miles per hour (152.545 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 21.404 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing | |
| Laps | 145 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNT | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 with The Looney Tunes was the 26th stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 45th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, September 7, 2002, in Richmond, Virginia, at Richmond International Raceway, a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) D-shaped oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, Matt Kenseth, driving for Roush Racing, would come back from a two-lap deficit to win his fifth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his fourth of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Ryan Newman of Penske Racing and Jeff Green of Richard Childress Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
Entry list
Richmond International Raceway (RIR) is a 3/4-mile (1.2 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia.
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, September 6, at 11:20 AM EST, and lasted for 2 hours.[3] Ryan Newman of Penske Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.279 and an average speed of 126.886 mph (204.203 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman (R) | Penske Racing | Ford | 21.279 | 126.886 |
| 2 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 21.287 | 126.838 |
| 3 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 21.292 | 126.808 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
The second practice session was held on Friday, September 6, at 4:45 PM EST, and lasted for 45 minutes.[3] Jeff Green of Richard Childress Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.577 and an average speed of 125.133 mph (201.382 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 21.577 | 125.133 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.634 | 124.803 |
| 3 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.645 | 124.740 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Final practice
The final practice session was held on Friday, September 6, at 6:15 PM EST, and lasted for 45 minutes.[3] Rusty Wallace of Penske Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.590 and an average speed of 125.058 mph (201.261 km/h).[6]
During the session, Jeff Gordon would careen his car into the outside wall in Turn 2, causing substantial damage to his car and forcing Gordon to use a backup. The special Bugs Bunny scheme that was planned to run was instead replaced by Gordon's regular "Flames" scheme, with Gordon saying "We're going to go with the flames. [My firesuit] is about all that is left of Bugs for the day."[7]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Ford | 21.590 | 125.058 |
| 2 | 30 | Jeff Green | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 21.618 | 124.896 |
| 3 | 55 | Greg Biffle | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 21.619 | 124.890 |
| Full Final practice results | ||||||